The Big Feed: Dave Letele ready to co-host rural telethon

Meat the Need co-founder and The Big Feed co-host Wayne Langford (left), Meat the Need Board member Shaheen Junge, BBM and Big Feed host Dave Letele, BBM's Rob Campbell and Fonterra's Amavi Mey. Photo / Meat the Need

Hosting a 14-hour live telethon is a step outside “Brown Buttabean” Dave Letele’s comfort zone, but he lives his life doing whatever he can to help others so he jumped at the opportunity.

The founder of Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) and the BBM Foodbank is stepping up to the plate for The Big Feed rural telethon, collecting mince and milk meals for food banks across the country.

He’s hosting the online live event alongside celebrity TV host Matt Chisholm and Meat the Need co-founder Wayne Langford for 14 hours from 6am, Thursday, December 14.

“It’s going to be epic, it should be really good fun while also raising awareness and highlighting some really important conversations we need to be having in Aotearoa about food poverty,” he said.

Farmer-led charities Meat the Need and Feed Out are presenting The Big Feed, which aims to raise 1.2 million mince and milk meals for more than 110 food banks and community organisations across the country.

Letele said he hoped one of his co-hosts would know what they were doing.

“It’s definitely going to be organic.

“Last year Wayne had his head shaved on live TV so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store this year,” he laughed.

The Big Feed will feature live interviews from celebrities and sports stars including Te Radar, Dai Henwood, Matt Watson, Erin Simpson, Shiray and Gillies Kaka, as well as panel discussions on food insecurity with Dr Rebekah Graham, food banks nationwide and those with lived experience.

The hosts will be challenged during the event with assault courses, gladiator tasks, classic egg and spoon races, burger making, apple bobbing, testing their make-up skills and more.

There will also be dares, including crazy haircuts, hair dyes and tattoos, which are being auctioned off for the hosts to raise money.

BBM Foodbank is one of the recipients of the Meat the Need products.

These make up part of a balanced food parcel which Letele said was a huge relief for families to receive.

“You can see them smiling, the smile says it all when they know they’re going to have meat in there, probably for the first time in a while for some families.

“There’s no point giving rice or pasta if there’s no meat to go with it, it goes with everything.”

With food insecurity and poverty on the rise, the BBM Foodbank couldnt’ keep up with demand and had to limit numbers coming through the doors to 50 families per day.

“It’s not just people that have always needed a food bank every week, now we’re seeing middle-class and working-class families needing assistance,” Letele said.

With everything increasing, from food prices, to rent, electricity and petrol costs, he said families often didn’t have any finances left in the tank.

“The cost of living is huge for families who don’t have any buffer zone day to day, never mind week to week, it’s a struggle to get from day to day.

“With no buffer, all it takes is a broken down car, a flat tyre or a dentist to need a service like us.”

He said it was hugely important for New Zealand to get in behind and donate to The Big Feed.

“If Meat the Need couldn’t do what it does, it would leave a massive hole for food banks around the country.”

The way Letele lives his life is that if he can help, he does.

“There shouldn’t be any hungry kids in New Zealand but unfortunately there’s far too many.”

“If you can help, please do. You will always be blessed in return, tenfold, it always comes back around.”

More about The Big Feed

• The Big Feed live rural telethon kicks off on Thursday, December 14 and runs for 14 hours from 6am.
• It is hosted by TV personality Matt Chisholm, former boxer Dave Letele, and Meat the Need co-founder and Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford.
• Donations of livestock, milk, virtual animals or funds can be made online at meattheneed.org as part of the Big Feed now.
• Donations can also be made by texting “feed” to 3493 to automatically give $3 now, or by calling 0800 632 884 on the day.
• The Big Feed will be streaming live on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and meattheneed.org.
• One hundred per cent of all donations will be turned into mince and milk meals for food banks nationwide.